Why it works: Almond and rose are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,465 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Almond Filling
Ingredients
Directions
Make the filling
Beat the egg whites until stiff.
Gradually stir in the powdered sugar.
Add the finely powdered almonds and mix well.
Flavor with rose water or bitter almond extract to taste.
Variation
For a variation, use whipped cream instead of egg whites.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Almond + rosetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,465 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Sugar + almondtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + rosetop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,584 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Egg + almondtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff foam, they trap air and give the filling its light, structured body.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves into the whipped whites, sweetening the filling and helping it hold together.
- Blanched almonds
- Finely powdered, they add body, nutty flavor and texture to the filling.
The step that matters
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Whites under-beaten stay runny and deflate when sugar and almonds are folded in, while over-beaten whites turn dry and grainy. Stiff peaks give the filling its airy structure.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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